Railway-switch



No. 626,250. Patented June 6, was.

a. B. TAYLOR & c. B. vovuow.

RAILWAY SWITCH (Application filed Mar. 29, 1899.)

NllFF GEORGE E. TAYLOR AND CONSTANTI NE B. VOYNOXV, OF PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

RAI LWAY- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE B. TAYLOR and CONSTANTINE B. VoYNow, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have jointly invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway-Switches,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has relation to a railwayswitch; and in such connection it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the parts or elements thereof.

The principal objects of ourinvention are, first, to provide in a railway-switch a tongue having its base-flange widened at the straight side of the switch from a point extending the entire length or only a portion of its length toward the heel of the switch,wherebya tongue of long radius and sharp point is provided and the widened flange supporting the point or weakest portion of the tongue; second, to provide in such a switch a wall along the straight side of the switch-block in alinement with the flanged surface of the side of the tongue and depressed into alinement with the flange of the tongue either at the point of said tongue or at an intermediate point in the length of said tongue to constitute a riser, so as to guide wheels of wagons or the like; third, to provide in such a switch a recessed switch-block having its side walls adjacent to the switch-tongue longitudinally grooved to permit of the forcing of extraneous mat-- ter into the groove during the operation of the switch-tongue, and thereby preventing any accumulation of said matter which might tend otherwise to interfere with the working of theswitch; fourth, to provide in such a switch, in conjunction with the recessed switch-block having longitudinally-grooved side walls, a tongue having a tapered and a widened flange on the straight side of the switch, said tapered flange being provided with one or more projections adapted to abutagainst corresponding stops formed on the walls of the switch block at or. near the grooves therein and said flange adapted to prevent the wheels of wagons or the like entering the space between said tongue and switch-block, and thus being jammed ortwisted in said space, and, fifth, to provide in such SWITCH.

Patent No. 626,250, dated June 6, 1899. Serial No. 710,916. (No model.)

a switch, in conjunction with the recessed switch-block having longitudinally-grooved side walls and a tongue having on its straight side a widened flange to support its point, vertical recesses formed in the side walls of the switch-block to permit of the introduction of a switch-iron through said walls into operative engagement with the flange of the tongue.

Our invention, stated in general terms, consists of a railway-switch when constructed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and characteristic features of our invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a tpp or plan view of a railway switch embodying main features of our invention, the tongue of said switch being set for the curved portion of the track. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the tongue set for the straight portion of the track. Figs. 3 to 9 are cross-sectional views taken, respectively, on the lines 3 3, 4 4, 5 5, 6 6, 7 7, S 8, and 9 90f Fig. 1; and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view, enlarged, of the switch with the wheels of the car dotted to illustrate diagrammatically the points at which said wheels bear upon the tongue of the switch in the successive positions of said tongue.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the switch-block, in the recess a of which the tongue I) of the switch is adapted to oscillate. This tongue I) has at its base a flange b 011 the curve side of the switch, which flange tapers in width from the heel b toward the point 5 of the tongue in the usual manner. The other side of the tongue is also provided with a flange cl at its base extending from the heel b to a point (1 about midway of the tongue on a taper corresponding to the taper of the flange b; but at the point d the flange (1 begins to widen until it approaches the straight side a of the switch-block a and then proceeds, as at (1 parallel with said side a down to the point I) of the switch. This widening (Z of the flange (Z strengthens the support for the point I) of the tongue and enables the use of a very long radius. The straight side a and curved side a of the switch-block a are both longitudinally grooved, as at e and e, and serving as receptacles or discharges for forcing extraneous matter away from the base of the switchtongue during the operation of said tongue.

Thus is insured an easy working of the switch-.

tongue to either one side or the other of the switch-block and without any possible interference in such working from accumulated extraneous matter about the floor of said block and always insuring a perfect contact of either side of the switch-tongue with either side of the switch-block and avoiding thereby any tendency to bending or twisting out of shape of the said tongue in successive actions thereof. The straight side a of the switch-block a is of a height corresponding to the height of the flange d of the tongue at the point of the tongue and continues of the same height in the length of the flange d until said flange d begins to taper into the flange d. (See Figs. 4, 5, and 6.) At this point, however, the side a is elevated, as shown at a in Figs. 1 and 2, until it approaches the height of the top of the tongue. When it is of the same height as the top of said tongue, the straight side a is continued at this height to the end of the switch-block. (See Figs. 7, 8, and 9.) By thus arranging the side a the wheels of wagons are guided upward on the switch-block, and, furthermore, by widening the flange d of the tongue I) at its tapering end 114 and also making the flange preferably of the same height asthe side a of the switch-blockwt the wheels of vehicles will be prevented from entering the space a of the switch-block a, in which the tongue is adapted to be oscillated, thereby avoiding jamming or twisting of the Wheels in the space a and avoiding injury to the switch-tongue by said vehicle-wheels. To enable the heel b of the tongue to properly abut against the straight sided of the switch when the tongue is set for the curve, as illustrated in Fig. 1, there are formed on the flange (Z one or more projections or lugs f, adapted to abut against the reinforced portions f of the straight side 61 above the groove 6 thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 8. To enable the operator to set the switch-tongue from the curve to the straight, it is preferable to cutvertical recesses g in the side wall a of the block, inasmuch as the flange d fits snugly against the side wall a when the tongue is set for the curve, as illustrated in Fig. l. switch-iron may then be inserted in the recesses g and enter the groove e,-which normally separates the flange d from the side wall a as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Having thus described the nature, scope, and objects of our said invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway-switch, a tongue provided with atapered flange arranged on the straight side of the tongue and extending from the heel toward the point of said tongue, and a widened flange forming a continuation of the tapered flange and extending therefrom to the point of said tongue, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a railway-switch, a recessed switch-- block having its side Walls grooved, a tongue adapted to oscillate in the recess of said block, a tapered flange arranged on the straight side of the tongue and extending from the heel toward the point of said tongue, and a widened flange forming a continuation of the tapered flange and extending therefrom to the point 3 of said tongue, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a railway-switch, a recessed switchblock having straight and curved side walls, a tongue adapted to oscillate in said block and provided on its straight side with a tapered flange extending from the heel to a point midway of the ends of the tongue, and a widened flange forminga continuation of the tapered flange and extending therefrom to the point of the switch, that portion of the straight wall of the switch-block which is adjacent to the widened flange being arranged at the same height as the height of said flange, and being thereafter elevated toward the heel of the switch until it is of the same height as the tongue, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a railway-switch, a recessed switchblock having its side walls grooved, a tongue oscillating in the recess of said block,a tapered flange arranged on the straight side of said tongue, a widened flange arranged-on the straight side of said tongue and forming a continuation of the tapered flange to the point of said tongue, and projections or lugs formed on the tapered flange of the tongue and adapted to abut against corresponding stops on the side wall of the switch-block at or near the groove in said wall, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a railway-switch, a tongue having a recessed switch-block with longitudinallygrooved side walls, atongue having a tapered and a widened flange on the straight side of the switch, said taperedflange being provided with one or more projections adapted to abut against corresponding stops formed on the walls of the switch-block at or near the grooves therein, and said flange adapted to prevent the wheels of wagons or the like entering the space within which said tongue is adapted to be oscillated by being conducted over the surface of said flange without jamming or twisting by entry of said space, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our signatures in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

GEO. B. TAYLOR. CONSTANTINE l3. VOYNOVV.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

